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Borg-Species 8472 War
devastates two Borg cubes.]] The Borg-Species 8472 War was a brief but highly destructive six-month conflict from late 2373 to early 2374, fought between the Borg Collective and Species 8472. The forces of Species 8472 proved highly superior to that of the Borg, and their invasion of the Milky Way Galaxy was repulsed only after Captain Kathryn Janeway of the [[USS Voyager|USS Voyager]] provided the Borg with an effective weapon against them. Failed Assimilation In mid-2373, the Borg Collective learned of the existence of a species whose physiology they believed represented the "apex of biological evolution". Designated Species 8472, this newly discovered race was the sole occupant of an alternate spatial realm known as fluidic space. Eager to assimilate a species which would bring them closer to their goal of perfection than any that came before, the Borg opened portals into fluidic space by creating special quantum singularities using a modulated graviton beam. Borg vessels entered fluidic space, expecting to draw Species 8472 into their fold as they had so many other species. However, when the Borg attempted to assimilate Species 8472, they found that the species was resistant to assimilation -- their immune system was so efficient that any invader was immediately destroyed, including Borg nanoprobes. Their assimilation technology useless, the Borg were confronted with an enemy that they could not understand, and therefore could not adapt to. Moreover, Species 8472's organically-based technology was extremely powerful. Their bioships were impervious to all types of conventional weaponry, while their weapons were able to penetrate Borg shields with ease. They quickly removed the Borg from fluidic space. Purification However, the sudden incursion of a hostile alien species in their biologically homogeneous space was something intolerable to Species 8472. They saw their realm as having been contaminated by weak life-forms, originating from an entire galaxy of similarly impure species. Therefore, Species 8472 determined that the only option to protect their genetic integrity was to "purge" this galaxy of weakness. Hundreds of bio-ships began pouring into the Delta Quadrant, from a string of quantum singularities concentrated in a region of Borg space later called the Northwest Passage. The purification would begin with the Borg Collective, as the first species to despoil their realm. Over the course of five months, Species 8472 attacked and easily defeated the Borg in a dozen major engagements. The Borg found themselves completely outmatched, incapable of inflicting any but the most superficial damage to the enemy forces. The Collective suffered catastrophic losses as Species 8472 swept through their territory, annihilating not only ships but entire planets, in their goal to wipe out every last trace of life. In the battle of Spatial Matrix 010, Grid 19 alone, the Borg lost eight planets, 312 ships, and 4,000,621 drones. Total defeat was less than a few weeks away. An Infernal Alliance At that time, the USS Voyager was approaching the limits of Borg space and the Northwest Passage. In short order, they witnessed the destruction of fifteen Borg cubes on long-range sensors. Investigating, they discovered a single bio-ship amongst the wreckage. Hopes of finding a new ally against the Borg were quickly dashed after their first contact with the pilot; Voyager barely managed to escape. During the brief exchange, Kes made telepathic contact with Species 8472, resulting in the Voyager crew learning the plans of this new arrival. Captain Janeway realized that her situation had vastly changed: left unchecked, Species 8472 would rampage through the galaxy, destroying every species they encountered. Ironically, the Borg, the Federation's greatest enemy, were the best chance of stopping the invasion. Janeway decided she would make a "deal with the devil": she would offer the Borg a weapon against Species 8472, in exchange for Voyager's safe passage through their space. Janeway's bargaining chip was The Doctor, who had discovered a way to reprogram Borg nanoprobes to evade Species 8472's immune system. These nanoprobes would then be able to attack Species 8472 on a cellular level. Despite misgivings from her crew, Janeway ordered Voyager into a Borg-occupied star system and began negotiations with the Collective, intending to offer them the weapon after being provided with safe passage through Borg territory, and threatening to delete the Doctor if the Borg tried to assimilate Voyager. They arrived at a compromise: the Borg would escort Voyager through their space, while en route Voyager personnel would assist the Borg in developing a functioning weapon of war. The first test of the new alliance came when a Species 8472 fleet attacked the system during the meeting. The Borg planets were destroyed, but a cube used a tractor beam on Voyager, towing it out of danger. In the next several days, Captain Janeway and Lieutenant Tuvok worked with Seven of Nine, a Borg drone selected to act as a representative for the Collective and thus make communication between the two groups easier. They arrived at a way to introduce the nanoprobes via photon torpedoes, essentially converting them into bio-molecular warheads. Meanwhile, Species 8472 exploited their telepathic connection with Kes to locate the two ships. A bio-ship attacked, and the cube sacrificed itself to save Voyager, a small Borg contingent beaming aboard Voyager shortly before the destruction of the cube to continue their work. However, Janeway was injured in the attack, and Lieutenant Commander Chakotay decided to dissolve the alliance rather than rendezvous with another Borg cube; he attempted to eject the Borg into space, but Seven of Nine remained on board. With the Borg running out of time, the Collective decided to force Voyager's hand by taking it into fluidic space. Faced with an imminent attack by Species 8472, Chakotay reluctantly agreed to allow the Borg to modify Voyager to fire the bio-molecular warheads. The weapon was proven effective in battle, destroying all four attacking bio-ships. Their goal completed, Seven of Nine took Voyager out of fluidic space, after which it destroyed thirteen more bio-ships with a class-10 high-yield warhead. Meanwhile, Seven of Nine re-established contact with the Collective and transfered the specifications of the weapon to them. Alarmed and unprepared for this new technology, the Species 8472 forces fell into full retreat on all fronts, disappearing back into fluidic space. Defeat and Victory Once the invasion had been repelled, the Borg promptly terminated their alliance and attempted to assimilate Voyager. The attempt failed, however, due to advanced planning by Janeway and Chakotay which used Seven of Nine's connection to the Collective to repel the maneuver (Exploiting Chakotay's earlier link to a miniature Borg collective to allow him to tap into Seven's), simultaneously severing her link to the hive mind. Within a short time, the Collective returned to its path of relentless assimilation. The defeat of Species 8472 had averted an invasion of the Milky Way which would have cost trillions of lives, although Voyager's crucial role in the conflict caused Species 8472 to begin preparations for an invasion of the Federation. It would not be until 2375, when Voyager established diplomatic contact with Species 8472, that these plans were reconsidered. The Borg-Species 8472 War stands out as one of the few examples where the Borg were outmatched in a conventional armed conflict. The long-term ramifications of the contact between the two species remained unclear. References *VOY: ** "Scorpion" ** "Scorpion, Part II" ** "In the Flesh" Category:Conflicts